Zhang Shuai defeated 25th ranked Hungarian Tímea Babos, who has won one singles and 10 doubles titles on the WTA tour, propelling herself on Nov 3 into the semi-finals of the WTA Elite Trophy Zhuhai. 

Zhang ended the 96-minute bout with scores of 7:6 (2) and 6:4, ascending from 27th to 23rd among professional female tennis players. But on Nov 5, No3 seed Petra Kvitova dismissed wildcard and Chinese No1 Zhang, 6-2, 6-2, to advance into the final.

"I think the key was really on my serve," said Kvitova in her post-match press conference. "She really knew that she had to go for it and she did," Kvitova told the WTA. Both Kvitova and Zhang were undefeated in their respective round robin groups, but it was Kvitova who made the stronger start of the two, promptly breaking at love and cruising out to a 5-1 lead in a matter of minutes, according to the WTA. 

Zhang Shuai returns volley

Zhang has made several breakthroughs this season. She was not only in the top eight of the Australian Open, but also raised her world ranking to 27th on Oct 10, her first time to break the 30th-rank threshold. 

She and Babos encountered each other in the Quanzhou International Tennis Federation tournament four years ago when Zhang was no match for Babos. This time though, her win was not only sweet revenge, it also qualified for the semi-finals. 

Zhang Shuai celebrates winning point [Photos by Wu Changfu / Zhuhai Daily]

The WTA (Women's Tennis Association) Elite Trophy Zhuhai, an international tournament organized by Zhuhai Huafa Group, was first held in 2015. Since then, it has fostered a great deal of public interest in tennis. In fact, youngsters can be found lobbing and smashing to their hearts' content on many of school and community playgrounds.

In just two years the WTA Elite Trophy has become one of the top four tennis events in China, joining the China Open in Beijing, Shanghai ATP Masters, and Wuhan Open. It features 11 top-ranked singles players along with one wildcard draw and four top and two wildcard doubles teams. The $2.21 million prize event comes with 700 ranking points for the champion.